Management Model for Ground-Water Development

A mathematical model for the optimal dynamic management of regional ground-water supply resources is presented. The mathematical model, predicated upon a Galerkin finite element formulation of flow in heterogeneous anisotropic porous media, allows management decisions to be made regarding: (1)The possible well development sites within the ground-water basin; and (2)the optimal pumping rates needed to meet an exogenous water demand in each planning period. The planning model minimizes the total discounted operational costs over the planning horizon. The management problem, structured as a problem in optimal control, is solved using Tui's concave programming algorithm. Results indicate the effectiveness of the model for the planning and development of ground-water resources.